On Tuesday in class we discussed the legacies, impacts, and musical background of three iconic musical acts of the prior generation; Michael Jackson, Prince, and Madonna. One thing that wasn’t pointed out in class, because it’s relatively useless information, was the fact that all three performers were born in 1958. A point of no uselessness, just something I noticed to find interesting. (Or I missed out on that fact in the few first minutes of class)
Prince was brought into the world first on June 7th, 1958 in Minneapolis, Minnesota. Next came Madonna, born June 16th, 1958 in Bay City, Michigan. Soon there after came the baby of the Jackson 5, Michael Jackson, born August 29th, 1958 in Gary, Indiana.
Roughly 61 years later, only Madonna is still alive out of the three artists. She is currently 60 years of age.
As a child I was most familiar with Michael Jackson out of the three artists. I was exposed to his music far more than Prince’s and Madonna’s in my youth. When Michael passed away on June 25th, 2009 it was a recognizable moment for me and many others. The common question “Where were you when so and such happened?” is one I can distinctly remember with Michael’s death. I was sitting in a car with friend’s family outside of a Chick Fil A in Jacksonville, North Carolina. We were waiting on french fries when my buddy’s uncle was reading the story breaking, on what can now be considered one of the first cell phones with internet connection. He mentioned Michael had gone into cardiac arrest, before quickly updating the information that Michael’s death was confirmed. He was 50 years old.
Prince’s death on April 21st, 2016 was of less significance to me. Like I mentioned, Prince wasn’t on my radar a ton as a child. I could only recognize the term Purple Rain with him, but wasn’t aware it was part of his body of work. Thinking back I can’t recall where I was or what I was doing when I heard the news. I didn’t get the chance to appreciate his work while he was alive. An iconic musician in his own right, he’s remembered and missed by many.
Madonna is the remaining soul of the three artists discussed and there’s a sense of appreciation towards that. As I get older, and especially as of 2018 experiencing death around me more than ever, I’m grateful to appreciate an artist while their around. That won’t mean I’m going to listen to Madonna for hours straight, but appreciate their life and art a bit more.